Regal Princess- a fantastic cruise!

[azdmelani]

I begrudgingly left the Regal Princess on Thursday after 12 wonderful days onboard.

 

Room: Our cabin was R431 (inside). We had more storage than on previous ships (an extra set of shelves) and thought it was convenient that the closet was divided into halves already with a platform on the bottom for shoes. We heard very little ship noise in this cabin. As this cabin was directly midship it was annoying not to have the midship stairs, but we figured out it was easier to walk to the forward stairs to get where we needed to go. I dont understand why the elevators are programmed in a way you have to press 3 or 4 buttons to light all 6. (also, i giggled at the elevators' pronounciation of Baja and Aloha)

 

Food: I generally liked the food. Some things were fantastic, did not like a few dishes but overall were great. We had Edwin/Lovika as our waitstaff in the Symphony, who were fabulous. Head waiters Irina and Lofti also were lovely, and handled last minute requests to change the number of diners without any issues.

 

We ate at both Sabatini's and the Crown Grill. I was not very impressed with Sabatini's compared to other ships we have been on. We had an 8:30 reservation and it was not overly crowded. My lobster three ways was fine, nothing amazing. The risotto tasted off, and it was left on my plate. Our waiter decided to rush us through the rest of the meal, interupting my friend and I mid conversation to take our dessert orders, and asking us to sign for the check when he delivered our desserts. Crown Grill was the better meal, and we both highly enjoyed both the food and service.

 

Gym: There are plenty of machines and a good variety so waiting was not an issue. I do wish they could incorporate the tv on demand system to the machines rather than the live tv channels but not a big deal. I do have to warn the spin classes were atrocious. I spin 7 times a week and may have higher expectations but the instructor was terrible. My bike was broken (seemed to be something in the chain preventing the pedals from completing a full circle) and after telling her, the bike was put back after class rather than being fixed. She was hard to hear and did not provide the quality of spin classes I have experienced on other ships. I cant remember who asked, but the bikes have the clips on the reverse side for spin shoes.

 

Entertainment: Overall the staff was fantastic. Loved Martyn Moss and the rest of the CD staff. He was very visible, and I had a few conversations with him over the week. They had a lot of fun games in addition to the regulars. Two production shows blew me away. Fiera is a stunning show. The use of the back screen and the stage was phenomenal. And Bravo was a broadway caliber show. The talent of the featured singers was endless. Two must sees that are only on the Regal.

 

Ports: Nothing short of amazing. We lucked out with the weather and it was not overly hot, but warm enough. We booked private tours in most of the ports and would recommend most of the companies to others.

 

No question about it, this was my favorite cruise out of the 13 I have taken. Looking forward to sailing on the Regal in January through the Caribbean. Let me know if you have specific questions.

[islandatsea]

Thanks for your review of the Regal. We will be sailing on her in November.

[Seago2]

Thank you for your review! Sailing her in January. Shaking my head over the lack of center ship staircase. Insane.

[CMR123]

Thanks for the review, we will be sailing on the. Regal 3/15. Looking forward to experiencing this class of ship.

[gkkapp]

Did your cruise stop at Ravenna? If so, what kind of transportation options into town did Princess offer? I would guess shuttle service. Did you use it and how much was it? We are on the September 23 cruise :D.

 

<<<Karen>>>

[Topo Gigio]

Thanks for your short review. I'm eying the Jan.25 sailing.

[Frflatt]

Hi Azdmelani, it was a fantastic cruise - we were in R735 so only along from you! The ship is amazing and the staff are, on the whole, welcoming, attentive and friendly. We are still in Barcelona but will do a review when we get home next week.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Frflatt

[azdmelani]

Did your cruise stop at Ravenna? If so, what kind of transportation options into town did Princess offer? I would guess shuttle service. Did you use it and how much was it? We are on the September 23 cruise :D.

 

<<<Karen>>>

 

Hi Karen! I wish I could do it all over again! Just checked my patters as we did not leave the ship in Ravenna and Princess offered a shuttle that took about 25/30 minutes for 16 USD that could be paid to the shuttle operator. Enjoy your cruise!

[azdmelani]

Thanks for your short review. I'm eying the Jan.25 sailing.

 

I will be on from January 18-25th. The price was right, couldnt pass it up!

[azdmelani]

Hi Azdmelani, it was a fantastic cruise - we were in R735 so only along from you! The ship is amazing and the staff are, on the whole, welcoming, attentive and friendly. We are still in Barcelona but will do a review when we get home next week.

 

Sorry I didnt get a chance to meet you, especially being so close by! Enjoy the rest of your time in Barcelona (we ate at a fabulous restaurant on the beach called Ca La Nuri) incase you need a restaurant suggestion. Safe travels home.

[Sanibel*Gal]

Thanks for your review - we will be sailing in December & can't wait! Did you get to try Alfredo's or any of the new seafood offerings??

[cruis247g]

We're sailing on her in November and I'm more excited than ever. Thanks so much for writing your review.

[gkkapp]

Thanks for the info, azdmelani. Pretty steep price but we may have to do it. You should have gotten off. Ravenna has some of the best early Christian mosaics in the world. All intact and unspoiled. I studied about them in college years ago and always wanted to see them. Now I get the chance :D.

 

<<<Karen>>>

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the comments.

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.

[attilamom1217]

Thanks for your review - we will be sailing in December & can't wait! Did you get to try Alfredo's or any of the new seafood offerings??

 

Thanks for the review. I am excited to sail on this new ship. Our friends were on the Royal last year and loved her.

 

Sanibel-Gal, DH and I will be with you on Dec. 7!!! :D

[avd79]

Thank you for the review. Will sail her in March/2015 and are really excited to see her for ourselves.

[JimAOk1945]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

What was your itinerary? Did you go on an excursion at each port?

Edited September 15, 2014 by JimAOk1945

[OCruisers]

Appreciated your review!

Which itinerary did you take?

LuLu

[azdmelani]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

What was your itinerary? Did you go on an excursion at each port?

 

Day 1: Venice

Day 2: Ravenna

Day 3: Dubrovnik

Day 4: Sea Day

Day 5: Athens

Day 6: Kusadasi (Ephesus)

Day 7: Mykonos

Day 8: Sea Day

Day 9: Naples

Day 10: Civitavecchia (Rome)

Day 11: Livorno (Florence/Pisa)

Day 12: Toulon

Day 13: Barcelona

 

We did private tours in all ports except Venice, Ravenna, Dubrovnik and Barcelona. The itinerary was fantastic!

[Grego]

Glad you enjoyed your voyage. We have friends onboard this week and we sail on her in 4 weeks.

Did you do a ship's tour in Toulon?

[JimAOk1945]

You had a fantastic itinerary! Do you plan to add more details later? I would be very interested to read about your experiences at each port.

[yoyosma]

Great summary, I am so looking forward to my 3 weeks in January/February.

[azdmelani]

You had a fantastic itinerary! Do you plan to add more details later? I would be very interested to read about your experiences at each port.

 

Sure!

 

Venice: We arrived from the airport via the bus and people mover. Was very easy minus the VERY long walk with our luggage to the ship since Princess was all the way down at the end of 117. We got on the ship, went to our room, ate at the buffet and then took the Princess Water Taxi to St Marks and walked around a bit before heading back on the ship

 

Ravenna: We opted not to get off the ship as we were a bit tired and jet lagged.

 

Dubrovnik: We did this one on our own, took the Princess Shuttle Bus to the entrance of the city walls. Walked all around them (incredible views) and explored the old city for a bit before heading back to the ship. We made it just in time as it started downpouring and there were thunderstorms throughout the night (fun to see on the ship).

 

Athens: We booked a private tour and got to see the Acropolis, the Agora, the Temple of Zeus, had lunch by the Agora and visited the New Acropolis Museum. Had a lovely day!

 

Kusadasi: Had a private tour that was one of my favorites from the trip: Visited the House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus (just beautiful) including the Terrace Houses. Our guide took us for a delicious lunch and we had a carpet weaving demonstration (with a bit of a push to buy at the end, but no one did). A few of us mentioned we were interested in leather so the tour guide stopped at a leather "outlet" they had a fashion show for us where I got to model (so much fun!) but the prices were still very expensive and not worth it IMO. We had time to shop downtown and I ended up getting a better quality jacket for less money. My friend I was traveling with found good faux designer bags and purchased a few as gifts.

 

Mykonos: After reading great things on CC we opted to purchase the day pass to St John's hotel. It was one of the highlights of the trip. The hotel was gorgeous, and the views breathtaking. Was nice to have a day of relaxation while still experiencing the local culture. We had a 4 course greek lunch that was to die for. We had the driver drop us off by the shops, but they were not the "main" shops and we could not get a taxi back to the ship. The walk that we were told would be 15 minutes was more like 40 and we cut it very close on time (do not recommend doing this!) but made it back on the ship!

 

Naples: Had a private tour once again that drove us to Sorrento, Positano and Pompeii. Sorrento was beautiful and I wish that more stores were open, but it was the bad combination of early AM and a Sunday. It's on my list to go back to. Positano was pretty but I think once is enough for me. We had free time to walk around and check out the shops before heading to lunch at Fattoria La Tagliata. The ambiance and food were incredible. We left happy and full. Pompeii was great, though I personally preferred the ruins of Ephesus. I wish we had slightly more time there.

 

Rome: Once again another private tour. Our driver Fabrizio was fabulous, and we were able to visit the highlights. He brought us to a gorgeous church, though I didnt catch the name, the Colosseo (amazing), the keyhole at the Knights of Malta (beautiful), a market area to grab a quick lunch and some souvenirs, and then off to the Vatican and St Peters. seeing the Sistine Chapel was unreal in person (though I wish others would pay attention to the silence and no photos signs). The one downside is that the Trevi Fountain is under construction and there was no water. Will just have to go back!

 

Livorno: We used the same tour company as Sunday. Unfortunately, they must have outsourced to another, local company that was not as good. We went to Pisa first. Since they have to park the buses a 15 minute walk away this was a longer stop than anticipated. We then went to Florence and had a few minutes of free time to grab food/shop before meeting up with our city guide. Somehow we were late for our Accademia entrance time, and they made us wait for about a half hour before entering, which is time that would have been better spent touring the city. The rest of our visit was rushed. We did see Dante's house, the outside of the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio before heading back to Santa Croce for a quick stop before heading back to the bus (also 15 minute walk away). Those we spoke to who took Princess tours also did not like them. Short of adding more time in the port or skipping Pisa, Im not sure what the best answer is.

 

Toulon: We took a private excursion to Aix en Provence, which was a beautiful city. Then headed to Cassis, where there was a mini that took us down to the village. We had a quick lunch then went on a gorgeous boatride to some inlets. Sadly, we didnt have too much free time and had to head back to the ship.

 

Barcelona: We stayed for two days after the cruise. The first day was their independence day (Catalonia Day) and the streets were crowded. We had hop on hop off bus tickets and missed it on thursday as it stopped running at 2. On Friday we went to Sagrada Familia (beautiful), Park Guell, and saw everything else via the bus before heading to dinner on the beach with our friends.

 

All in all a fantastic trip!

[Eskimo88]

Thanks for the review and details of your experiences at each port. Definitely this will be a sightseeing cruise. We are taking the same cruise starting from Venice on Sept 23.

 

Eskimo88